System and process for duplication of dentures

ABSTRACT

Systems and processes for the duplication of dentures from existing dentures. The interior and exterior of the dentures are scanned and a best fit procedure is used to create a fully digitized denture. The denture teeth are selected from a library that is the closest fit to the original denture teeth. The library teeth are offset a preset distance to compensate for the best fit. The teeth are then subtracted from the digitized denture. The margins of the denture are then cleaned after subtracting the teeth. The denture base is then ready for manufacturing. The teeth are then installed onto the denture base and provided to the patient.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of denture manufacture andparticularly the duplication of existing dentures.

BACKGROUND

Dentures are worn by a considerable number of individuals. The averagelife span of a denture is approximately seven years, although manyindividuals continue to wear dentures well beyond that time period.Additionally, dentures become ill-fitting over time due to changes inthe patients anatomy. Dentures may also become damaged over time aswell. Also, some individuals may want to have a spare denture in case ofthe loss of the original denture or in the event of an accidentalfracture of their primary denture. The cost and time of creating a newdenture can often be considerable. Thus, it is often desirable to make anew denture based on an existing denture, particularly if the patient issatisfied with their existing dentures.

The duplication of an existing denture is preferable in mostcircumstances as the transfer of the shape of the existing denturesmaintain the neuromuscular control to the new dentures. Minormodifications are often necessary as well to compensate for worn teethand denture bases and for changes in the patients anatomy.

There are a number of techniques currently available for providing apatient with a duplicate denture. Many times a temporary denture will befabricated by the dentist for the patient while the new denture is beingfabricated. However, these temporary dentures are usually ill-fitting,uncomfortable and not intended for continued use. Duplicate dentures arenormally fabricated based on the prescription and information from theindividual's original dentures, if available. Often, there may be aconsiderable amount of time that has elapsed and such information maynot be available. So rather than create a new denture from scratch, itis often more sensible to duplicate a new denture from existingdentures.

There are a number of techniques currently available for duplicatingexisting dentures. These techniques involve producing a mold byinserting the existing denture into a rigid container such as aduplicating flask, dental flask or other container filled with anelastic material such as alginate or silicon putty. A wax orauto-polymerizing resin template is then fabricated from the mold. Thistemplate is tried in the patient's mouth and modifications are made ifnecessary. Then the final denture is made and provided to the patient.Other variations include forming a wax rim instead of theauto-polymerizing resin or using a silicon putty to create the denturebase. These techniques require several try-ins to ensure the proper fitin the patient and the creation of initial templates or wax rims, thenthe actual denture. This entails considerable time and expense for thepatient.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides systems and processes for the preciseduplication of dentures from existing dentures. The duplicate denturescan be ready for delivery to the patient in a relatively short timeframe. The duplicate denture may even be manufactured in the dentistoffice.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention provides systems andprocesses for duplicating a denture from an existing denture. Thedenture is scanned and the scanned images are used to create a fullydigitized denture. A denture base can be fabricated from this model anddenture teeth can be designed or selected from a library that is theclosest fit to the original denture. The teeth in the digital model areoffset a preset distance. The teeth with offset are then subtracted fromthe digitized denture. The margins of the denture are then cleaned aftersubtracting the teeth. The denture base is then ready for manufacturing.The teeth are then installed onto the denture base.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the interior andexterior of the dentures can be scanned as discussed above. The dentistcan also provide additional information regarding the dentures and thepatient as well to ensure a proper fit. This additional information maybe used to change the digitized model of the denture.

Another embodiment of the present invention may use the existingdentures to create bite impressions which are scanned along with theexisting dentures. These scans are used to create a digital threedimensional image of the denture. This digital model is then used tofabricate a duplicate denture.

The digitized denture model in another preferred embodiment, may also beused to create a denture base. The teeth are subtracted from the model,and teeth are either selected from a library or the teeth may bedirectly fabricated from the denture information. The denture teeth aretemporarily installed in the denture base. This temporary denture isthen tried onto the patient. If the fit is not correct, then the dentureis used as a secondary impression tray to create a set of biteimpressions. These impressions are scanned and used to select orfabricate another denture base. The teeth are installed again and thedenture is tried on the patient. This process is repeated until thepatient is satisfied. At that point, the teeth are permanentlyinstalled, the denture is finally processed and delivered to thepatient.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention creates a best fit forthe duplicate denture that maintains the occlusal scheme of the existingdenture. The occlusal scheme is maintained while allowing changes to thedenture for anatomical, functional and aesthetic reasons.

These and other features of the claimed inventions will be evident fromthe ensuing detailed description of preferred embodiments, from thedrawings and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram of the work flow process of one preferredembodiment.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of a denture to be duplicated.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of the scanned images of the denture.

FIG. 4 is an illustration of a digital three dimensional model of thedenture.

FIG. 5 is another view of the digital model of the denture.

FIG. 6 is an illustration of the digital denture model.

FIG. 7 is an illustration of the model with an offset added to theteeth.

FIG. 8 is an illustration of the digital denture with the teeth beingsubtracted.

FIG. 9 is an illustration of the digital denture base being cleanedafter the teeth has been subtracted.

FIG. 10 is an illustration of the machined denture base.

FIG. 11 is another view of the machined denture base.

FIG. 12 is a view of the duplicated denture.

FIG. 13 is another view of the duplicated denture.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention provides systems and process for the duplicationof dentures. Descriptive embodiments are provided before for explanatorypurposes. It is to be expressly understood that the present invention isnot be limited to these descriptive embodiments. Other embodiments areconsidered to be within the scope of the present invention, includingwithout limitation the use of the present invention for otherapplications, such as denture duplication, dental implants, and otherdental and orthodontic applications. The descriptions below discuss thesystems of the present invention as used in dental labs, but it is to beexpressly understood that these systems could also be implemented in thedentist office or through a network allowing interaction between thedentist and the dental lab through the systems. The processes andsystems of the present invention may also be used in combination withall or parts of the following applications, entitled System andProcesses for Optimization for Dentures, Ser. No. 12/939,141; System andProcess for Forming Anatomical Features in Dentures, Ser. No.12/939,138; Combination Tool for Anatomical Measurement for DentureManufacture, Ser. No. 13/249,210; and Removable Handle for Use withDentures, Ser. No. 12/939,143 all of which are hereby incorporatedherein by reference.

The terms denture base generally refers to the part of a denture thatfits the oral mucosa of the basal seat, restores the normal contours ofthe soft tissues of the edentulous or partly edentures mouth, andsupports the artificial teeth. The term denture refers to the denturebase with the artificial teeth attached.

Overview

A preferred embodiment of the present invention provides systems andprocesses for duplicating a denture from an existing denture. Thedenture is scanned and a best fit procedure is used to create a fullydigitized denture. An offset is added to the overall dimension of thedenture teeth. The denture teeth with the offset are then subtractedfrom the digitized denture model. The margins of the denture are thencleaned after subtracting the teeth. The denture base is then ready formanufacturing. The teeth are then installed onto the denture base.

Process

A preferred embodiment of the present invention is disclosed that allowsnew dentures to be created from an existing denture. The patientprovides their existing dentures to the dentist for scanning. Digitalscans 30, 32 are created from the inside and outside of the originaldenture 20 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Once the scans are performed, thedenture can be returned to the patient. The system, as shown in the workflow diagram of FIG. 1, applies a series of routines to create a digitalthree dimensional model 40 of the existing denture as shown in FIGS. 4and 5.

This digitized denture model 40 is then digitally compared with dentureteeth from a library to select the best fitting denture teeth 50 in thescanned model as shown in FIG. 6. The denture teeth 50 are then offsetby a preset amount as shown in FIG. 7. This adds an overall thickness tothe teeth. The teeth are then digitally subtracted from the digitizeddenture model as shown in FIG. 8. The offset added to the teeth createsslightly larger pockets in the denture base. The margins are thencleaned after the teeth have been subtracted as shown in FIG. 9. Thiscreates a digital model 60 of the denture base for the patient as shownin FIG. 10.

The denture teeth may be either selected from a library or fabricatedfrom the digital model in a number of process. In this preferredembodiment, the denture base is machined in acrylic based on the digitalmodel 60. This can be done relatively quickly. Once the denture base 70has been fabricated as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the teeth 72 areinstalled and delivered to the patient for try-in and use as shown inFIGS. 12 and 13.

This entire process can be done in a relatively fast time frame. In someinstance, the duplication process can take place in the dentist offices.In other instances, the scanned images of the existing denture can betransmitted to a nearby dental lab where the denture is fabricated andcourier to the dentist.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the interior andexterior of the dentures can be scanned as discussed above. The dentistcan also provide additional information regarding the dentures and thepatient as well. For example, the dentist may notice that the denturesare no longer properly fitting due to wear of the denture base or theteeth or due to changes in the patient's anatomy. This additionalinformation may be used to change the digitized model of the denture.

In yet another alternative embodiment of the present invention, thedentist may provide additional information beyond the scanned images ofthe interior and exterior of the dentures. The dentist may use thoseexisting dentures as an impression tray to take bite impressions of thepatient. Those bite impressions are then scanned and used along with thescanned images of the interior and exterior of the dentures to createthe digitized denture.

The occlusal scheme of the existing denture is maintained in theduplicate denture. The duplicate denture can be modified to accommodateanatomical, aesthetic and functional changes that might be necessary.

The digitized denture model 40, in another preferred embodiment, mayalso be used to create a model for a denture base. The teeth aresubtracted from the model, and a denture base is directly fabricatedfrom the denture base information. A denture base is then fabricated,the margins are cleaned and teeth are temporarily installed. This try-indenture is then tried onto the patient. If the fit is not correct, thenthe denture is used as a secondary impression tray to create a set ofbite impressions. These impressions are scanned and used to select orfabricate another denture base. The teeth are installed again and thedenture is tried on the patient. This process is repeated until thepatient is satisfied. At that point, the teeth are permanentlyinstalled, the denture is finally processed and installed to thepatient.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention may be implemented in anumber of ways.

The above descriptions are intended for explanatory purposes and are notmeant to the limit the scope of the claimed inventions. Otherembodiments may be covered under the claims as well.

1. A system for creating a duplicate denture from an existing denture,the system comprising: a processing device configured to executecomputer-readable code; a memory device connected to said processingdevice for storing computer-readable code; an interface for receivingdata relevant to a particular patient and storing said data in saidmemory device; a rendering engine for creating a digital threedimensional model of the existing dentures from scans of the existingimage; a selection engine for selecting the denture teeth that best fitsthe digital denture model; a manipulation engine adding a preset amountto the denture teeth, for subtracting the denture teeth from the denturemodel and for cleaning the margins of the denture model.